There is a great deal of competition among vendors to attract and retain customers. Even when a customer has browsed a vendor's inventory, he will not make a purchase if an item's price is greater than the amount the customer is willing to pay. One way to increase customer willingness to purchase is to provide discounts on items purchased. Unfortunately, vendors must use discounts sparingly, since reducing purchase prices likewise reduces margins and the reduced margins may not be offset by increased sales volume.
A vendor may also offer promotions to provide an incentive for customers to make purchases. For example, a vendor may offer a “buy one get one free” promotion whereby a purchase of an item yields the benefit of an additional item at no cost. Similarly, a vendor may provide a discount on a purchase in exchange for signing up for a credit card account provided by the vendor.
Promotions may also be provided among two or more vendors. For example, a first vendor may advertise that if a particular product is purchased, another product may be purchased from or given away by a second vendor.
A parent application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/219,267 entitled “METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING ELECTRONIC COMMERCE THROUGH PROVIDING CROSS-BENEFITS DURING A TRANSACTION”, filed Dec. 23, 1998, discloses a method and apparatus that permits a customer that is purchasing items from a first vendor to receive a benefit (e.g. a credit for the price of the items) from a second vendor. The present application provides further embodiments of this novel and beneficial invention.